Waterford’s TSSG Pioneers Groundbreaking EU 5G Initiative

The Telecommunications, Software, and Systems Group (TSSG) at Waterford Institute of Technology is co-ordinating an EU-funded project to help build the global technical infrastructure for a fifth generation (5G) telecommunications network and mobile internet.

The 30-month CogNet (Cognitive Networks) project has received almost €6m in EU funding as the only Irish-led project approved under the Horizon 2020-financed, 5G Public, Private Partnership programme (5G-PPP).

Current telecom providers have just started the process of rolling out 4G, and 5G is likely to start appearing around 2022.

A multinational project, CogNet will develop solutions to provide a highly automated and more intelligent level of network monitoring and management, improve operational and energy efficiencies, quality of experience for the end user and facilitate the requirements of 5G.

TSSG partners on the project include Fraunhofer Fokus in Germany, Telefonica in Spain, universities in Madrid, Berlin, and Italy as well as VicomTech in the Basque region and Israel partners, Alcatel Luvcent and WeFi.

CogNet co-ordinator Robert Mullins says it gives TSSG and its project partners across Europe a central role among those building “a future-proof, fit for purpose 5G network”.

The project will require six full-time, highly-skilled staff, some with PhDs at TSSG.

Sorcha Corcoran